For Your Own Good by Alice Miller - 1003 Words

Alice Miller â€Å"I see it as my task to sensitize the general public to the sufferings of early childhood,† Alice Miller (1983) wrote in her book, For Your Own Good, ( p. xv). This one sentence accurately describes Miller’s life’s work. Alice Miller had unparalleled compassion for children and absolutely no tolerance for their maltreatment. She wrote many books and articles on the subject of child rearing and its impact on society. Miller is also known for her outspoken views on religion and its impact on children’s psyches. She used the term â€Å"Poisonous pedagogy† in many of her writings to refer to the toxic forms of child rearing that have been employed as far back as can be remembered. Alice Miller lived in Europe during Adolf Hitler’s†¦show more content†¦They have been met with conflict from some and admiration from others. She left little room for argument and as the New York Times Book Review (2002) pointed out, you were either with her or you were against her (Merkin, p. 13) Another aspect of Miller’s theory is that we are all exposed to trauma as a child and that without a caring adult to empathize with us there is a very real danger of becoming a mass murderer (Merkin, 2002, p.13). While that is the extreme end of the spectrum, there are many degrees of violence that are produced as a result of childhood abuse, according to Miller. If we can depart from the teachings of our parents and our parent’s parents, then we may find an end to the violence that plagues our world. That was Alice Miller’s vision. Through her writings her main goal was to enlighten the population to the plight of children worldwide. She was confident that we could depart from the â€Å"Poisonous pedagogy† of our own upbringing and find a new way to parent with love and encouragement. Alice Miller died at age 87 of a suicide following a diagnosis of late stage pancreatic cancer. Throughout her life she made significant contributions to the field of psychohistory and the study of child maltreatment. While many of her writings have come under attack for their extremist point of view, the truth is that she stood up for what she believed in. MillerShow MoreRelatedGlobal Climate Change Symposium Observations1051 Words   |  4 Pagesthe speaker was Dr. Daphane Miller, MD., family physician, writer and Associate Professor in the department of Family Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Daphane Miller is also a family physician. One thing that I believe that is sticking to know first and foremost is that she is a doctor. She sits at her office three days a week and she sees patients all day long and she takes care of them, one of her many prescriptions to her patients are good eating, among other things.Read MoreOn Friday, April 25, 2014, I attended the event Global Climate Change Symposium organized by the1400 Words   |  6 PagesClimate Change Symposium organized by the West Valley College Global Citizen and Suitability Committees from 1:00 to 2:30 PM. In this event, the speaker was Dr. Daphane Miller, MD., family physician, writer, and Associate Professor in the department of Family Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Daphane Miller is also a family physician. One thing that I believe that is striking to know first is that she is a doctor, a writer, and a discoverer that has found a new science namedRead MoreChapter 5 Homework885 Words   |  4 PagesJazzlynn Ben Chapter 5 Problems Dr. Ennis 5.1. 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